Pennsylvania — school discipline
- The lines the commonwealth draws
- "Exclusion from school may take the form of suspension or expulsion." "Suspension is exclusion from school for a period of from 1 to 10 consecutive school days." "Expulsion is exclusion from school by the governing board for a period exceeding 10 school days and may be permanent expulsion from the school rolls. Expulsions require a prior formal hearing under § 12.8." (§ 12.6(b)) Within suspension there is a further line: "When the suspension exceeds 3 school days, the student and parent shall be given the opportunity for an informal hearing consistent with the requirements in § 12.8(c) (relating to hearings)." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(iv))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- The decision-makers the regulation names are the school's own: "Suspensions may be given by the principal or person in charge of the public school." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(i)) Expulsion belongs to the governing board; a formal hearing "may be held before the governing board or an authorized committee of the board, or a qualified hearing examiner appointed by the board. When a committee of the board or a hearing examiner conducts the hearing, a majority vote of the entire governing board is required to expel a student." (§ 12.8(b)) On appeal, the regulation states only that "Notice of a right to appeal the results of the hearing shall be provided to the student with the expulsion decision." (§ 12.8(b)(10))
The forum for that appeal is not stated in the sources reviewed, and no state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the source; those absences are the finding. - Sources last checked
- Aug 29, 2026
Reproduced from the commonwealth's own regulation quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of which one governs any situation.
This page assembles what Pennsylvania publishes in regulation about K-12 school discipline: who may exclude a student and how, the informal and formal hearings the regulation requires, what education continues during and after an exclusion, and, because the regulation assigns the conduct rules themselves to each district's governing board, a map of the questions answered only in a district's own code of student conduct. The fullest single statement is 22 Pa. Code Chapter 12, whose published text carries its own adoption and amendment notes. The chapter's vocabulary appears throughout: the governing board, exclusion, suspension, expulsion, and the informal and formal hearing. District codes of conduct add detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. Confirm applicability with the district and the agencies. All dates on this page are quoted from the sources, not a deadline calculation performed for you.
The framework, as the commonwealth writes it
School rules (§ 12.3). "The governing board has the authority to make reasonable and necessary rules governing the conduct of students in school. The rulemaking power, however, is not unlimited; it must operate within statutory and constitutional restraints." Boards "may not make rules that are arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory or outside their grant of authority from the General Assembly."
Corporal punishment (§ 12.5). "Corporal punishment is defined as physically punishing a student for an infraction of the discipline policy. Use of corporal punishment is prohibited."
Exclusions (§ 12.6). The suspension and expulsion definitions are quoted in the docket. Before any suspension: "A student may not be suspended until the student has been informed of the reasons for the suspension and given an opportunity to respond. Prior notice of the intended suspension need not be given when it is clear that the health, safety or welfare of the school community is threatened." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(ii)) Pending an expulsion decision, "During the period prior to the hearing and decision of the governing board in an expulsion case, the student shall be placed in his normal class except as set forth in subsection (d)." (§ 12.6(c))
In-school suspension (§ 12.7). "A student may not receive an in-school suspension unless the student has been informed of the reasons for the suspension and has been given an opportunity to respond before the suspension becomes effective." Where it runs long: "When the in-school suspension exceeds 10 consecutive school days, an informal hearing with the principal shall be offered to the student and the student's parent or guardian prior to the 11th school day in accordance with the procedures in § 12.8 (relating to hearings)." (§ 12.7(c))
Hearings (§ 12.8). "Education is a statutory right, and students shall be afforded due process if they are to be excluded from school. In a case involving a possible expulsion, the student is entitled to a formal hearing." (§ 12.8(a))
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- For a suspension, the opportunity-to-respond and written-notice provisions are quoted above and in the timelines; for a suspension over three school days, the informal hearing applies, at which "A student has the right to question any witnesses present at the hearing." and "A student has the right to speak and produce witnesses on his own behalf." (§ 12.8(c)(2)) For an expulsion, "A formal hearing is required in all expulsion actions." (§ 12.8(b)) Its stated requirements include: "Notification of the charges shall be sent to the student's parents or guardians by certified mail."; "At least 3 days' notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given. A copy of the expulsion policy, notice that legal counsel may represent the student and hearing procedures shall be included with the hearing notice."; "The hearing shall be held in private unless the student or parent requests a public hearing."; "The student may be represented by counsel, at the expense of the parents or guardians, and may have a parent or guardian attend the hearing."; "The student has the right to be presented with the names of witnesses against the student, and copies of the statements and affidavits of those witnesses."; "The student has the right to request that the witnesses appear in person and answer questions or be cross-examined."; and "The student has the right to testify and present witnesses on his own behalf." (§ 12.8(b)(1)–(7))
- Services during exclusion
- During a suspension, "Students shall have the responsibility to make up exams and work missed while being disciplined by suspension and shall be permitted to complete these assignments within guidelines established by the governing board." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(vi)) During in-school suspension, "The student's school entity has the responsibility to make provision for the student's education during the period of the in-school suspension." (§ 12.7(d)) For an extended exclusion, "Any student so excluded shall be provided with alternative education, which may include home study." (§ 12.6(d)) After expulsion: "Students who are under 18 years of age are still subject to the compulsory school attendance law even though expelled and shall be provided an education." (§ 12.6(e)) The regulation assigns the first responsibility to parents, then shifts it: "If the parents or guardians are unable to provide the required education, the school entity shall, within 10 days of receipt of the notification, make provision for the student's education." (§ 12.6(e)(2))
- The record made, and the appeal route
- At a formal hearing, "A written or audio record shall be kept of the hearing. The student is entitled, at the student's expense, to a copy. A copy shall be provided at no cost to a student who is indigent." (§ 12.8(b)(8)) With the decision, "Notice of a right to appeal the results of the hearing shall be provided to the student with the expulsion decision." (§ 12.8(b)(10)) The forum and window for that appeal: not stated in the sources reviewed (Chapter 12 was searched); the Public School Code sections the chapter cites are listed in the source map as pending.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer lives on this site's Pennsylvania special education page. The regulation itself states: "Exclusions affecting certain students with disabilities shall be governed by § 14.143 (relating to disciplinary placements) and 34 CFR 300.519—300.529 (relating to discipline procedures)." (§ 12.6(a))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the commonwealth's own regulation, or record that a question is not answered in it.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From 22 Pa. Code Chapter 12 as retrieved Aug 29, 2026.
On written notice of a suspension: "The parents or guardians and the superintendent of the district shall be notified immediately in writing when the student is suspended." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(iii))
On the length of suspensions: "Suspension is exclusion from school for a period of from 1 to 10 consecutive school days." and "Suspensions may not be made to run consecutively beyond the 10 school day period." (§ 12.6(b)(1))
On the informal hearing: required where "the suspension exceeds 3 school days", and "The school entity shall offer to hold the informal hearing within the first 5 days of the suspension." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(iv); § 12.8(c)(2)(v))
On the formal hearing: "At least 3 days' notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given." and "The proceeding shall be held within 15 school days of the notification of charges, unless mutually agreed to by both parties." The regulation then states the reasons a hearing may be delayed. (§ 12.8(b)(2), (9))
On exclusion without a formal hearing: "A student may not be excluded from school for longer than 15 school days without a formal hearing unless mutually agreed upon by both parties." (§ 12.6(d))
On education after expulsion: "Within 30 days of action by the governing board, the parents or guardians shall submit to the school district written evidence that the required education is being provided as described in paragraph (1) or that they are unable to do so." Then the 10-day school-entity obligation quoted above. (§ 12.6(e)(2))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the district, the agencies, and their processes to determine.
Assigned to district policy by the quoted provision
The regulation writes the frame and expressly hands the conduct rules to each district's governing board. Each entry below is a question a district's own documents answer, with the delegating text quoted. No district's code of conduct is captured or quoted here.
The code of student conduct itself. "Each governing board shall adopt a code of student conduct that includes policies governing student discipline and a listing of students' rights and responsibilities as outlined in this chapter. This conduct code shall be published and distributed to students and parents or guardians. Copies of the code shall also be available in each school library." (§ 12.3(c))
Which offenses lead to exclusion. "The governing board shall define and publish the types of offenses that would lead to exclusion from school." (§ 12.6(a))
How missed work is made up. Make-up assignments are completed "within guidelines established by the governing board." (§ 12.6(b)(1)(vi))
The student-records plan. "The governing board of every school entity shall adopt a plan for the collection, maintenance and dissemination of student records" (§ 12.31(a)), and "The plan for student records must conform with applicable State and Federal laws, regulations and directives identified in guidelines issued by the Department." (§ 12.32)
Records access, as stated in the sources
The chapter's student-records sections require each district to adopt and maintain the records plan quoted in the delegation map (§§ 12.31–12.32); the plan's required contents beyond conformity with law are not stated in the chapter. Inspection, correction, and expungement of discipline records: not stated in the sources reviewed (Chapter 12 was searched); the district's adopted plan and district policies may address them. Federal records rights under FERPA are not restated here.
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Pa. Code Chapter 12 (Students and Student Services) | pacodeandbulletin.gov | adopted 1974 per its source notes; § 12.6 amended effective November 5, 2022; retrieved Aug 29, 2026 |
| Public School Code provisions the chapter cites (24 P.S., incl. § 26-2603-B) | cited in the chapter's authority notes | capture pending |
| PDE guidance on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District codes of student conduct | each district, per § 12.3(c) | never captured; see the delegation map |
Change log
Aug 29, 2026 · Page created (discipline-layer pilot). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/pennsylvania-discipline.json: the full text of 22 Pa. Code Chapter 12 from pacodeandbulletin.gov, which serves statically. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) the chapter page carries the publisher's annotations (Notes of Decisions) as part of its text; under the module's statute-and-regulation-only rule none of that material is quoted on this page; (2) the forum and window for an appeal from an expulsion decision are not stated in the chapter; the regulation requires only that notice of a right to appeal accompany the decision; (3) no state office, phone, or email for parents appears in the source; (4) inspection, correction, and expungement of discipline records are not stated in the chapter, which instead requires each district to adopt a records plan; (5) the Public School Code sections the chapter's authority notes cite are not directly captured. Capture pending: those School Code sections and any PDE discipline guidance page. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter, reviewed 2026-08-29. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.